Social Processes in Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa

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PROJECT SUMMARY Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses with few effective evidence-based treatments and there is little mechanistic understanding of the neuropsychological impairments underlie both illness and recovery. We have previously identified differences in the neural circuits that process social behaviors in both adolescent and adult women recovering from anorexia nervosa. However, a better understanding of the relationships between social perceptions and clinical symptoms requires understanding this illness in individuals early in their course of the disease and examination of these processes over time as recovery progresses. This pilot exploratory project will examine adolescent women seeking treatment for anorexia nervosa both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Comparison data from age-matched healthy controls will be collected. To maximize data, computer administered behavioral versions of well-characterized neuroimaging tasks assessing self-concept and social decisions will be utilized, allowing the entire study to be completed virtually. Two sites will recruit participants: Children’s Medical Center Eating Disorder Program at UTSW and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). The ability to conduct virtual assessments and tasks allows inclusion of 120 adolescent women (60 with anorexia nervosa and 60 healthy controls) at three time points (baseline, 3 months, and 6 months), in the short time frame of an R21. Aim 1 of this exploratory pilot project evaluates cognitive differences in self-concept while Aim 2 examines behavioral differences in social interactions. Within each aim, the social metrics obtained will be evaluated with regard to group differences and their relation to current clinical symptoms. An exploratory hypothesis within each aim will consider whether changes in clinical state are related to social metrics. At the conclusion of this pilot project, we will have a better understanding of which components of self-concept and social decisions differ in adolescents with anorexia nervosa and how these constructs are related to psychopathology.